"Bat Speed II" Drill

This drill comes from Sterling B. Holmes our March 2004 Drill of the Month Winner.

Equipment: Bat and Balls

Everyone always wants to hit harder and farther. This drill helps my players develop BAT SPEED, thus producing a more powerful swing. I use this drill every practice with all my batters and without exception, every one of them has produced more "power shots" during games. After all, BAT SPEED equals power.

Purpose: Develops a quicker, more compact power swing.

Drill:

1. Have the batter get into their stance, ready to hit.
2. Coach stands directly across from the batter facing them, just out of range of the bat swing path.
3. Have the batter slowly swing the bat and stop with the bat pointing at the coach. Coach determines where the head of the bat will pass by on the regular swing and then the batter returns to ready position.
4. Coach raises the ball about even with the top of the batter's head and drops the ball straight down through the bat head zone that was determined in the previous step. Batter has to quickly react to the dropped ball to hit it.
5. As the batter starts making regular, solid contact with the ball, start lowering the ball's height before dropping it, causing the batter to swing faster and faster, thus compacting their swing and exploding through the ball.

I will normally start with the ball next to my body, extend my arm until it reaches the fully extended position, and then drop the ball. This gives the batter a sense of timing. Most batters will struggle with this drill for the first few drops and then speed up their bat and start making contact. Once they get the hang of it, they really start drilling the ball. I actually have batters that can make solid contact with me dropping the ball about six inches above their belt line. To add variation, at the end of the drill, I extend the ball, but hold on for an extra second or two to teach them to wait on the ball and then explode on it once it is released.

Remember - To be a champion... You must believe in yourself, when no one else will.